2019年经济学人 约翰逊语言专栏--哪种语言最好?(3)

 

In short, languages are governed by trade-offs. One that avoids making certain information mandatory¹ may be easy to speak, but leaves the listener to fill in the gaps. It may be simple to learn but less expressive². Some languages have lots of redundant³ elements: in los tres gatos negros están mojados (“the three black cats are wet” in Spanish), all six words indicate a plural⁴. Marking the plural just once (as Chinese does) would be enough. But redundancy has a virtue⁵: emphatic⁶ communication is more likely to survive a noisy environment.

简而言之，语言是由权衡决定的。一个避免强制要求某些信息的人可能很容易开口，但让听众来填补空白。学习起来可能很简单，但是表达能力却不强。有些语言有很多多余的元素:在los tres gatos negros estan mojados(西班牙语中的“三只黑猫湿了”)中，所有六个单词都表示复数。仅仅标记一次复数（如汉语）就足够了。但是冗余也有一个优点：强调的交流更有可能在嘈杂的环境中存活下来。

Languages, Mr Dixon says, are like a Western-style house. There are a few rooms you must have (kitchen, bedroom, living room, bathroom), and some discretionary options (office, guest room). On a fixed⁷ budget, you can’t have all the extras. He does not crown a “best” language. In the end, he says, readers should make their own list of desirable features, and then closely examine a few languages to decide whether one has more of them than another. But the list of advantages, he concedes, is itself a matter of judgment⁸. For all his scientific criteria⁹, in the end the verdict is in the ear of the beholder¹⁰.

迪克森说，语言就像一座西式的房子。有几个房间你必须有(厨房，卧室，客厅，浴室)和一些自由选择(办公室，客房)。在固定的预算下，你不可能拥有所有额外的东西。他没有为“最佳”语言加冕。最后，他说，读者应该列出自己想要的特性列表，然后仔细研究几种语言，以确定其中一种语言的特性是否多于另一种。但他承认，优势清单本身就是一个判断问题。尽管他提出了所有的科学标准，但最终的结论还是见仁见智。

1 mandatory   

adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者

参考例句：

• It's mandatory to pay taxes.缴税是义务性的。
• There is no mandatory paid annual leave in the U.S.美国没有强制带薪年假。

2 expressive   

adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的

参考例句：

• Black English can be more expressive than standard English.黑人所使用的英语可能比正式英语更有表现力。
• He had a mobile,expressive,animated face.他有一张多变的，富于表情的，生动活泼的脸。

3 redundant   

adj.多余的，过剩的；(食物)丰富的；被解雇的

参考例句：

• There are too many redundant words in this book.这本书里多余的词太多。
• Nearly all the redundant worker have been absorbed into other departments.几乎所有冗员，都已调往其他部门任职。

4 plural   

n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的

参考例句：

• Most plural nouns in English end in's '.英语的复数名词多以s结尾。
• Here you should use plural pronoun.这里你应该用复数代词。

5 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

6 emphatic   

adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的

参考例句：

• Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决，不容有任何人怀疑。
• He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

9 criteria   

n.标准

参考例句：

• The main criterion is value for money.主要的标准是钱要用得划算。
• There are strict criteria for inclusion in the competition.参赛的标准很严格。

10 beholder   

n.观看者，旁观者

参考例句：

• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 看起来觉得美就是美。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• It has been said that art is a tryst, for in the joy of it maker and beholder meet. 有人说艺术是一种幽会，因为艺术家和欣赏者可在幽会的乐趣中相遇在一起。 来自《简明英汉词典》